Teens need to be informed about consequences of sex

Published 5:15 am, Monday, February 27, 2012

By Pooja Patel

"How did we get ourselves into this?" high school freshman Amy Juergens irritably asks the father of her baby, 18-year-old Ricky Underwood. "Sex," he replies.

Although this conversation may have occurred on ABC Family's teen drama television series, "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," sex among teenagers has steadily evolved from taboo to somewhat a norm of society. If the show's title wasn't enough to insinuate that sex is a key component of the average American teenager's "secret" life, new studies from the Guttmacher Institute show that by their 19th birthday, 7 out of 10 teens have had sex. Out of that number, those who do not use a contraceptive have a 90 percent chance of pregnancy. However as Psychology Today states, "While the media bombards us with alarming statistics about the number of teenagers having sex, few reports shed light on what might encourage teens to become sexually active in the first place." Consequently, when we examine this issue, it is imperative to realize no amount of sex education or abstinence promotion can actually make the choice for a teen. Yes, remaining educated and informed about the subject is crucial, yet ultimately the decision is up to each individual. The fact is, teenagers are having sex, perhaps now more than ever. But to ensure you or your child isn't the next statistic, it is essential to understand why.

McKenna Smith, a sophomore at Lee High School, said, "Teenagers are growing up much faster than they used to, and many are being thrown into the 'real world' long before teens have been in past decades. The loss of innocence in young people today is astonishing, and it directly reflects on the American morale and culture." Despite its precedence as a growing societal issue, the fact is we simply cannot depend upon parents as a whole to inform their children of sex and how to view the matter, because as necessary as it may be, this conversation is not had in every household. As a result, a generation of uninformed teenagers are in even greater danger. Such youth may understand sex itself, but fail to fully comprehend the ramifications associated with such an act. The dramatic implications that could possibly follow encompass far more than the individual's present, but future and lifetime as a whole.

Teen pregnancy has become an epidemic in our own city. Out of the 132 pregnancies within MISD that have been reported this past year, six occurred among girls who were already teenage mothers. Our school district faced no choice but to take it upon itself to educate its students on the implications of teen sex. The fundamental problem is not that teenagers are blatantly unaware that sex can lead to pregnancy or STDs, rather they are uninformed of appalling statistics such as the one listed in USA TODAY, "1 in every 4 teen girls have a sexually transmitted disease," or the fact not using a contraceptive can increase a person's chances of pregnancy almost ninefold. School officials realize, as dismal as it may be, it is unrealistic to expect abstinence from all, or even a majority of students. Thus a sensible approach of promoting abstinence alongside its benefits, while still including lessons on safe sexual practices, have been coupled to provide a balanced curriculum.

Although the results of MISD's new sex education assemblies are yet to be revealed, any institution that attempts to benefit teenagers and society in such a way should be honored for their efforts. The problem at hand is colossal, yet every step in the direction of knowledge brings us closer to an informed generation. ABC Family stated that the word "sex" can be said up to 70 times in any given episode of "The Secret Life." Parents may not be talking about this with their children, but the media certainly is; let this be motivation to all who are too intimidated to have that awkward, uncomfortable talk. No matter what decision a teenager chooses to make regarding sex, they need to know the risks, and also be encouraged to make wise decisions. Let your voice give the message with the most impact.